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Un Blanco Gulch is billed by Mt. Snow as a snowboard park"loaded with spines, wedges, a competition-size half-pipe, and other tricky terrain for you jibmeisters!" Snowboard parks are a growing trend at ski resorts these days, and most, including Un Blanco Gulch, remain works in progress. Typically, they require a lot of maintenance, a poorly maintained half-pipe isn't much more than a glorified snow ditch in my book. That said, Mt. Snow probably does a better job than most of keeping its snowboard park in good shape, in large part to keep trick-happy riders from wreaking havoc on a mountain full of knolls and hummocks to tempt jibmeisters with a zest for big air.

For wide-open cruising and occasional air time, Snowdance is hard to beat; it's a little flat, but several whalebacks add a touch of undular interest. For a steeper cruise, check out Fallen Timbers or Olympic on the North Face side. As for the front side, you can bomb around with ego-gratifying ease just as skiers do, but just keep in mind that if you do take advantage of those knolls and hummocks to put air under your board, just keep in mind that Mt. Snow is often a crowded mountain, and that going for big air is often asking for big trouble.

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